Cornell Fraternity Member Denies Remorse in High-Profile Campus Sexual Assault Case

An attorney representing Gillio Lopes, one of seven men accused of sexually assaulting a female student at a Cornell University fraternity house in October 2024, stated that his client feels no remorse because he maintains his innocence. Defense attorney Andrew Miltenberg asserted that Lopes engaged exclusively in consensual acts and was unaware of the victim's alleged intoxication during the incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York.\n\nAccording to Miltenberg, Lopes left his room before fraternity brothers sent group text messages offering free sex, only seeing the messages during Cornell's administrative proceedings. Cornell University's Title IX investigation determined that Lopes should have recognized the victim's incapacitation and found him responsible for sexual assault. The university penalized him with a three-semester suspension and a mandatory reflection essay, a punishment his defense attorney labeled unfair after Lopes recently resumed his studies on campus.\n\nThe victim, identified as Jane Doe in a sworn police statement, reported being heavily intoxicated and unable to recall most details after being subjected to sexual acts involving multiple men. Following Lopes' return to campus, Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit against seven fraternity members, prompting widespread student protests. Miltenberg countered that public accusations differ from prior university findings, insisting that allegations do not constitute legal proof.\n\nSeparately, the defense filed a formal petition demanding New York Attorney General Letitia James recuse herself from leading the criminal investigation, alleging prosecutorial bias based on past public statements supporting the victim. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who assigned James as special prosecutor, affirmed full confidence in the attorney general, leaving the criminal inquiry and civil proceedings moving forward concurrently.